Homemade Vanilla Extract & Vanilla Sugar

I love anything vanilla. And pure Mexican vanilla extract is my favourite weapon in the kitchen. You can really taste the difference when you are using it in baking and around the house. Recently I was gifted with three containers of vanilla beans from a friend who went to Mexico (best gift ever!) so I thought it was time to put them to use.

There are different types of vanilla beans and they all have their own unique flavour and characteristics. For our vanilla extract we used Mexican vanilla beans which add a sweet and creamy taste to your recipe. For our vanilla sugar we used Madagascar Vanilla, known for being smoky, dark, and full bodied. Making your own vanilla extract and vanilla sugar is super easy, anyone can do it and it takes about 5 minutes (the perfect type of DIY, I think). Here’s how:

Vanilla Extract

Ingredients:

5 vanilla beans

1 cup of vodka

one jar with seal

Step 1. Take your vanilla beans and cut them lengthwise almost to the tip, exposing the insides and seeds. Repeat for all 5 beans.

Step 2. Place your vanilla beans in your jar that can be sealed.

Step 3. Pour one cup of vodka into your jar completely submerging the beans in the liquid.

We had enough beans to do two jars, so we plunked half of them right into the vodka bottle making it even easier!

Step 4. Shake every day for two months, then enjoy your wonderful & yummy vanilla extra in baking (I recommend making a batch of homemade buttermilk pancakes to really taste the flavour!), and various recipes.

Step 5. You can keep topping up your jar with vodka every now and again depending on how strong you like your extract to be.

Tip: Try out a few types of vanilla beans and see what type you like best!

Vanilla Sugar

This is a secret ingredient you can use in your baking, desserts, and is a great addition to your coffee! It is quickly becoming a staple in our kitchen. If you have a foodie in your life, this makes an awesome homemade gift around the holidays

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

2 vanilla beans

Step 1. Take your vanilla beans and cut them lengthwise all the way down, and then in half to make them shorter. Scrape out the seeds and set aside

Step 2. Fill up your jar a quarter of the way with granulated sugar

Step 3. Stick your seeds and whole beans in the sugar, cover the top with the remaining sugar

Step 4. Shake every way for two weeks, you can then remove the beans if you choose

Gift giving Idea:

If you are giving this away as a gift we recommend jazzing up the lid a bit to make it look more interesting/personalized, here’s how:

Because our lid was well used we decided to take an interesting picture that had a white border and trace the lid’s shape. For a more tailored gift print out a personal instagram photo on your colour printer.

Then we cut out the shape and glued the picture it to the top of the lid. We then taped a seal on the top of the pictures to secure it to the lid while cutting carefully around the sides in a circle. Label the sugar as you please or add a personalized message!

Owner and curator of The French 75 - I love adventures, Christmas, vintage, and really really good coffee. Nothing makes me happier than sleeping in and sipping coffee with my husband on a wintry day with Carole King on the record player. I am always on the search for my next favorite place and my next favorite antique. Stay & read some of the thoughts here - and enjoy peeking at a few items in our store.